In honor of Giving Tuesday and as the last in our gratitude series for the month, we wanted to give you, readers, a chance to tell us what you’re grateful for right now.
Because we know that gratitude is a big part of happiness (so does science, conveniently enough). We know how to invoke the feeling of gratitude in our lives, and we also know some creative ways to express our appreciation out loud. We even know a gratitude meditation that we can do any time to celebrate the good—big and small—in our days. The only thing that’s left to know? What gratitude looks like, feels like, and means to real people.
So we asked: What are the things you are grateful for? And you answered. We even answered. Your insights are funny, heartwarming, inspiring, and genuine. We hope they encourage you to be grateful for what you have and start—or keep up—a gratitude habit long-term. All you have to gain is some happiness. And hey, couldn’t we all use a little more of that?
Things to be Grateful For, According to Our Community
Here’s what you’re most grateful for.
The people who make life better
“I am most grateful for my grandchildren. I never thought I’d be a mom. Years of infertility led us to adoption. [We were] blessed with three children, biological siblings. They are grown and married now, and we have three beautiful grandchildren. We appreciate and savor them by trying our best to be a loving presence in their lives.”
—Laura Goolsby
“I am grateful that my brother and I have been able to reconcile and begin to rebuild our relationship after five long years apart. We are blessed to be back in each other’s lives. Life is too short and forgiveness is key.”
—Patti Hedrick
“Every Tuesday I get time with my five-year-old son as his mom and our daughter are at dance. We get to talk about his day, clean to help Mom, play some video games, and roughhouse.”
—Paul Davis
“My coworkers who make my workday fly by, even if we’re bogged down by the many hats we each wear. All of our personalities compliment the next one. It’s hard to savor when you feel like the day flies by, but knowing that I get to see them tomorrow gets me excited to come back to work.”
—Colleen Cash
“I am most grateful for the encouragement of family, friends, and community that surrounds me. I’ve never been told, ‘that’s impossible’, ‘it’s not going to work’, or ‘you can’t do that’. The people around me always believe I will find success and are the reason I know I can keep pushing myself. I hear, ‘you got this!’, ‘you’ll find a way’, or ‘I’m proud of you’. It makes all of the difference in the world.”
—Megan Funke
The little things
“I’m most grateful for being literate. Sometimes when I’m reading a book, I’m astounded by the power of language and its ability to transform and illuminate. That I can learn about people, places, history, and experiences (real or imagined) by reading still leaves me amazed, and I am overwhelmingly grateful for the worlds of understanding it opens for me.”
—Liz Thomas
“Free time.”
—Nicholas C.
“The thing I am most grateful for is live music performance! I started to realize that every time I was filling out the ‘I’m excited’ portion of my Panda Planner that I was always filling out a concert or performer we were going to attend. These experiences fill my soul and make my heart sing with gratitude! I’m so grateful Panda Planner helped me identify what makes me happy. Now to fill up my calendar with more concerts!”
—Annie Bathgate
The big things
“I’m grateful for every heartbeat, for the people who support me when I’m going through hell. I’m grateful for little beautiful things that I get to see during the day. I also try to help as many of my friends and family members or even strangers as I can to show kindness, which is really important to me.”
—Kika Peťková
Belief in something bigger
“For God’s continuous presence in my life.”
—Ben A.
The tools that help you move forward
“I’m grateful for my Panda Planner and how it helps me to feel more organized, causes me to pause and collect my thoughts, and also has space for me to write down what I’m grateful for. Since what we give out is what we get back, keeping our thoughts and energy in gratitude attracts more of what we are grateful for.”
—Caroline Brown
“I am grateful for my community and my Panda Planner, both of which have been key players as I recover from my first manic episode last June. …the Panda Planner allows me to mark progress month by month and forgive myself on days when I feel I got nothing done. It is one day at a time and one goal at a time (and lots of cheers when I meet those one-month goals)!”
—Lissa Piercy
The chance to live a healthy life
“I recently found out that I have a degenerative disc disease in my upper spine that would leave me paralyzed if untreated. Luckily, a physiotherapist noticed what doctors have missed. I’m now able to have surgery, with the expectation of a full recovery, because of him. He’s who I’m most grateful for right now—I feel like he’s saved my life. Learning how to live with this disease, I now feel gratitude every time I go for a walk, stand at the front of a classroom, play my ukulele, crochet, drink my tea, or even stand in line at the grocer.”
—Danelle Driscoll
“I am grateful for the opportunity of life. I dealt with a divorce and thyroid cancer last year and that taught me to appreciate life so much more. Talking with my friend on my drive home, hiking to the top of Camelback Mountain during sunrise, having a glass of wine with my mom on Sundays, finding a new partner who tells me I’m beautiful every day. It’s all those small little moments that make life enjoyable and worth living.”
—Jeanne-Marie Hormell
What are we grateful for?
Here at Panda Planner, we’re grateful for a whole lot of things—the ability to positively affect so many people with our product, the chance to give back to communities in need, and mostly, for you, our readers and customers.
Your stories keep us going; your support inspires us to work hard. We’re so thankful for this wise, dedicated, and engaged community, and we hope we can keep on showing up for you with helpful articles, kickass products, and the tools you need to live your happiest, most productive life.
Your turn: What are you grateful for right now? Join the conversation in the comments.
For more inspiration, check out our post on what happiness means to readers like you.
Quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.
